Consibrough Castle, Yorkshire

HAUNT RATING **

Ghost: The white Lady
Area of haunt: At the top of the keep

Ghost: The grey monk
Area of haunt: All around the castle


On the edge of the village of Conisbrough in South Yorkshire, England, stands Conisbrough Castle.
Conisbrough Castle was built around 1180 by Hamelin Plantagenet. The castle is unique to this country in its design, it has one of the finest keeps in England, and the only other similar example was built on Warenne owned land in France. The curtain walls were built around the keep in the early 1200s. The keep survived destruction during the English Civil war because part of the curtain wall had already collapsed so parliamentarians viewed it as indefensible and left it in tact. The keeps walls are said to be 15 feet thick in places!!


It was only a half hours drive to Conisbrough Castle; the keep was very prominent from the bottom of the hill. It was only a short walk from the car park to the castle, we had to pay to get in as it’s run by English Heritage; we took our ticket and went in the grounds, but no one was about to make sure we had paid, they must be very trusting of people, we could have just wandered in without paying! 


We walked around the inner ward for a while, the dog came in with us even though he wasn’t allowed in, and we must have the most cultured dog in Yorkshire! The keep was high, I think its around 90 feet high.   We took it in turns to have a look around inside the keep, I so do like wandering around dark castles on my own!

The keep was intact; as I walked in I saw what looked like a pit which is in-fact a vaulted basement and hatch.  This hatch was used in order to lower buckets into the well. I walked higher and higher up the stone spiral staircase that was dimly lit then I entered a room that hand two large candle stands and a large medieval table and fireplace, it felt really creepy in here on my own, people have heard footsteps in the keep and there is supposed to be a grey monk who is resident in there, although there isn’t any evidence that monks stayed at the castle.

I went right to the top of the castle, the views were impressive.
There was a murder at the keep, a woman was pushed over the edge, she is known as the white lady, and she has been seen on top of the keep. As to who it was that was murdered I am unsure.

Conisbrough is superbly photogenic place, great day out.